I am attaching an adapted version of the usb-modeswitch 1.1.6 function that includes the puppy interfaces to 1.1.6. It contains little new functionality, but has internal changes that need to be verified as not having regressed.

The main difference is that it utilizes all of the official components instead of using my substitute for the dispatcher (wrapper) script. That avoids dual maintenance of the wrappers.

The part I cannot test is the executable program that caused a problem in 1.1.5 and may or may not have been fixed in 1.1.6. I need someone to try this new package and report whether the executable actually creates and uses the expected ttyUSB ports (beyond 0 and 1, which are always present in puppy). Please send/post a pmodemdiag file if you encounter a problem.

EDIT: Since there are no reports of problems with 1.1.6, I have moved the package from here to the first message in this thread.
RichardLast edited by rerwin on Wed 02 Feb 2011, 00:05; edited 2 times in total

Thanks to Toy4's testing with the latest modem updates -- and his sending me a pmodemdiag file -- I discovered a bug in the 5.8 version of ...backend_modprobe. It impacts the automatic detection of the modem because the script may crash (invisibly) as it tries to load the modem driver. The fix was simple and I have replaced the 5.8 version with 5.8.2, at the beginning of this thread.

If you have to probe to get the modem detected, this fix may correct that.
Richard

The packages at the beginning of this thread have been updated to "level 10". They include the above transition to modeswitch 1.1.6 and its dispatcher (thus the number bump). Since no one has reported difficulty with 1.1.6, I am removing the workaround from the thread. Please speak up if 1.1.6 causes a problem.
Richard

I have replaced the "modem 8-to-10" and pup_event packages, to further wrap up my development of them. The first corrects DGC USB modem detection, where it checks the messages log for evidence of such a modem. Pup_event_backend_modprobe...5.9 cleans up part of the module loading logic and removes unused "protect" options (after some simplification mods).

Module loading now keeps the blacklist in the /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf file (as in Wary), but does not create extra blacklist...conf files while determining preferences and usb_storage alternatives, instead copying all effective blacklist entries to a process-specific file to which the temporary blacklist items are appended. This avoid potential interference with loading of other modules. In addition, processing of event-rule-invoked loading is corrected to avoid preference processing, because a valid modalias is not present for such processing.

I did not mention that I included an updated /usr/sbin/remasterpup2 in the "5.9" package. It is a special version for remastering an upgraded pup made from an original 4.3.1 CD and does not contain the latest developments found in wary, particularly relating to the simplified puppy names. But if those changes are not official, the included remasterpup2 should be OK for users who update with 5.9.

However, it is not appropriate for inclusion in woof. Barry, please do not use the 5.9 remasterpup2 in woof.
Richard

I have replaced the "modem 8-to-10" package (now 20110218) to fix pupdial to prevent an intermittant input/output error on the /etc/ppp/peers/wvdial file, which causes connection to fail. Thanks to Toy4's persistence with me (again), I discovered a risk in the setup for running the wvdial dialer, which should be mitigated by insertion of a "sync" command before the launch of wvdial (line 688) as a separate process. That is the only change from 20110209. If that does not prevent an input/output error (on the wvdial file) message from appearing in the /var/log/messages log, please tell me so I can look further.
Richard

The following is the history of this thread. Assuming it is of limited interest, I have moved it out of the first message, to improve that posting.

UPDATE 7/19/2010: Uploaded "point one" versions of modprobe_protect, pmodemdiag and "bluetooth-ready" versions of pupdial and its friends. The download counts before the new versions were pup_...-5: 106, modem...-7: 73. For those of you who already have "-5" and "-7" installed, I am posting a "patch delta 7 to 7.1" package below in the thread, which replaces six files, including the one from the pup_event... package. Simply install that on top of the previous (modem and pup_event) packages.

UPDATE 7/28/2010: Uploaded the "point 2s" to fix some bugs and make improvements. I found the reason the USB modems are not detected automatically and fixed it. I posted a "delta" package farther down in this thread for those of you already at 7.0 or 7.1.

UPDATE 8/8/2010: I have corrected the problem Barry has spotted where the connect wizard regresses in releases later than 4.3.1, such as Quirky and Wary, when the modem_fix_pack_delta-6-to-7.2.pet package is installed. That package now merges my enhancement into the connect wizard, instead of substituting a modified 4.3.1-based script. The correction is present on all downloads after number 18. Users impacted by the connect wizard problem can recover by either (1) uninstalling and re-installing modem_fix_pack_delta-6-to-7.2.pet or (2) simply deleting /initrd/pup_rw/usr/sbin/connectwizard:

Code:

rm /initrd/pup_rw/usr/sbin/connectwizard

which will restore the wizard without the modem change, but with the new networking support. Note that these packages should not be installed on future (post-Quirky 1.2 & Wary 0.3) woof-based distros, since they will already be part of those distros. Sorry for the goof.

UPDATE 8/10/2010: Note that all of the attached packages are now built into puppeee 1.0, except for the usb-modeswitch-data package, which gets upgraded as new versions become available. That package need not be installed if your modem is already supported, as it usually just adds new wireless devices.

EDIT 8/18/2010: Just a reminder to users of wireless modems: Be sure to check/select "Stupid Mode" in pupdial. A few new users have been stymied for a long time because Stupid Mode was not selected. That is the first thing to suspect if you get disconnected immediately after connecting.

UPDATE 8/28/2010: Re-uploaded "pup...5.2", after download number59, to correct the edit of rc.services, which improves the modem initialization function. Should fix unexpected modem choice, so that USB modems take priority. That fix is also in "pup...5.2_to_5.4" later in this thread, so no need to reinstall 5.2.

UPDATE 8/29/2010: Uploaded "pup...5.4" and "modem...7.4", with everything fixed, as far as I know. Improves detection in a rare case and completes the method of handling multiple possible modem devices. So, if ttyUSB0 does not work, click on the pupdial "test" button, which is labeled ttyUSB-something. If that is different from the selected (detected) device, clicking on it will test the alternative and select/detect it if successful. If unsuccessful, a different ttyUSB label will show; if still different from the selected device, click again to try it. This feature should also work for ttyACM and ttyHS (but not HSF) modem devices. The more noticeable changes are to the pupdial and modem-select (nee modem-probe) panes, so that the essential control buttons are all visible on a small (480 pixels tall) screen, the remainder available by moving the pane upward (with alt-leftbutton-drag).
NOTE that the attached pup_event... and modem... packages must not be installed in the puppeee derivative. Only the delta packages on page 3 of this thread should be used for puppeee 1.0 (as well as the two usb_modeswitch packages here).

UPDATE 9/22/2010: Uploaded new set of packages as "modem fix pack 8." While containing some fixes, the main improvements are to the internals, to streamline maintenance, making this the "elegant and sustainable" version. I hope users will retest this for any regression of functions that have already been working.

To update a system already at the "7.4" level, please use the package "7.2_to_8" posted on page 4 of this thread (instead of the "6_to_8" package posted here). Users of recent woof-based puppies (Wary 07, Quirky 1.3, fluppy) should use either "7.2_to_8" or "7.5_to_8-woof", which is posted in the wary 07 Bugs thread. The pup...modprobe_fix...5.5" must be installed with any of these modem_fix packages. The usb_modeswitch packages are optional, but ensure that the wireless mode-switching support is current.

Note that the bluetooth support has been extended, but not adequately tested. That is not a factor if you do not have a bluetooth device installed. Where bluetooth is detected, an attempt is made to find a modem, but stops short of actually doing anything about it. Debug information is collected (in /tmp/udevtrace-modem.log), which should be helpful in "fleshing out" bluetooth-modem detection. That can be sent to me via PM in a pmodemdiag file.

UPDATE 9/23/2010: Re-uploaded the modem-fix-pack-6_to_8 package with patch to wireless modem detection, after download number 4.

UPDATE 10/3/2010: Re-uploaded package modem_fix_pack_delta-6_to_8.pet after download number 17, with verified corrections to wireless modem detection, incorporated from "patch-2" (so no need to install that patch).

UPDATE 10/6/2010: Uploaded package pup_event_backend_modprobe_fix_to_p43x-5.6.pet after download number 44, to augment the "protect" function in support of the new "patch-3" posted on page 4 of this thread. The patch expands support for Agere (agrsm) modem chipsets. Only users of Agere HDA or PCI modems need this update.

UPDATE 10/7/2010: Re-uploaded package modem_fix_pack_delta-6_to_8.pet after download number 38, to correct the rules file for Intel and Agere modems.
Also re-uploaded pup_event_backend_modprobe_fix_to_p43x-5.6.pet after download number 60, to change the modprobe.d/alias-sound_cards file name to append ".conf". Edits delayedrun script, to match.

UPDATE 10/8/2010: Re-uploaded package modem_fix_pack_delta-6_to_8.pet after download number 67, to augment the test for modules being loaded (to support "patch-3").

UPDATE 10/18/2010: Replaced the pup_event_backend_modprobe_fix_to_p43x-5.6 package with pup_event_backend_modprobe_fix_to_p43x-5.7, to fix the loading of the Agere HDA driver. Unless this is important to you, there is probably no need to update to 5.7 from 5.6.

UPDATE 12/16/2010: Attached a new level of modem support to bring 4.3.1 up to the level of wary 0.9.8 plus a few additions. It comprises the following packages:
- pup_event_backend_modprobe_fix_to_p43x-5.8.pet
- modem_fix_pack_delta-8-to-9.pet
- usb-modeswitch-data-20101202.pet
These also need usb-modeswitch-1.1.4.pet.

If starting with an original puppy 4.3.1 CD, be sure to install the following before adding the latest packages:
- modem_fix_pack_to_431-6.pet
- modem_fix_pack_delta-6_to_8.pet

This level includes an upgraded "remaster" script that allows you to create a new CD (or iso) after installing all of the packages (as well as any others you might add, such as pburn). The old version omits some critical files from the new copy.

Even though they clutter the list of downloadable packages (below), I am leaving for now the level 5.7 and 20100826 packages for those not ready to step up to the new set.

UPDATE 12/24/2010: Replaced the modem_fix_pack and pup_event packages to correct the functioning of the modem fix pack and convert the pup_event package to use the new syntax for multiple preferences, to be consistent with the newest puppies.

UPDATE 1/2/2011: Replaced the modem_fix_pack and pup_event packages -- again -- to make some internal changes to match wary code and to polish support for the SmartLink and Conexant DGC USB modems. Because of the internal change of the firmware.inst... file to firmware.dep.inst..., both of these packages must be installed together, since they both reference that file. The old versions (with the same names) should be uninstalled before re-installing the 2 packages.

UPDATE 1/20/2011: Replaced the pup_event package with 5.8.1 to correct a typo/bug that prevented completion of wireless-modem-module loading, resulting in a "timeout" during initialization. Everyone: please replace your installation of the ...5.8 version, with 5.8.1 (or later).

UPDATE 1/24/2011: Replaced the pup_event package with 5.8.2 to complete the bug-fix started in 5.8.1. The second problem was with loading of the usb-storage module, which might have delayed startup but otherwise did no harm.

UPDATE 2/1/2011: Upgraded the packages to "10" for miscellaneous cleanup. The differences are that now modules triggered by udev rules (e.g., agrmodem and Intel536/7) can be blacklisted, and that module-loading timeouts are eliminated if a module is not installed. The latter makes it possible for a puplet to include the PCI modem firmware tarballs even if the drivers are not present, allowing for users to later install drivers if/as they become available for later kernels.

Also replaced the "imitation" modeswitch script, to use the "official" modeswitch dispatcher. This means that the 2 usb_modeswitch packages are now required. As usual, please report any modem or module misbehavior/timeouts, so I can fix them.

UPDATE 2/9/2011: Upgraded the modem package to correct detection of DGC USB modems. Upgraded the pup_event package to clean up the module loading logic to use the modprobe.d directory, but using individual blacklist copies for resolving preferences. Also removed 2 now-unused protect options.

UPDATE 2/11/2011: Re-uploaded the pup_event...5.9 package to remove a statement from /usr/sbin/remasterpup2. Note, though, that the included remasterpup2 should not go into woof, for which it is not valid.

UPDATE 2/11&15/2011: Re-uploaded the modem_fix_pack_delta-8_to_10-20110209 and usb-modeswitch-1.1.6-adapted packages, to eliminate duplicated files. No other content change, so no need to reinstall those packages.

UPDATE 2/18/2011: Uploaded the modem_fix_pack_delta-8_to_10-20110218, after download number 52, to prevent random failure of ability to connect via dialup.

UPDATE 3/10/2011: Replaced all 5 of the previously attached packages with a single package containing updated versions of them. It can be installed on any existing installation of puppy 4.3.x or later, but not wary or quirky (which replace the content with a different implementation), and puppeee (which has unique requirements).

I have revised the initial page of this thread for simplification and consolidation of the separate upgrade packages because they have become quite interdependent. Now that Barry provides the wireless-modem mode switching function and database in their own packages, they can be added to the upgraded 4.3.x installations as they become available. But if they cannot be accommodated as they are, I plan to adapt them and post the result in the first thread message, as before.

The main thing to remember is to avoid installing the "modem-modprobe" upgrade before a pupsave file is in effect, because puppy forgets to keep files and directories deleted upon the first reboot of a new installation. Boot up, reboot and create a "personal data" (pupsave) file, then install the upgrade. Or install it in a "full" installation (vs. "frugal").

As usual, please report here any problems produced by this upgrade, which is not significantly different internally from the previous packages. Thank you for everyone's help in getting this done.
Richard

In response to this post I installed the latest modem-modprobe_fix_pack_to_43x-20110313.pet into luci_254. It all went well with my huawei-E169 except that I was missing libcrypto.so.0.9.7 so I made symlinks to libcrypto.so.0.9.8 called libcrypto.so.0.9.7 in /lib and /usr/lib. From then on connection was flawless.

I'll attach a pmodemdiag anyway, never know, there may be a clue somewhere.

I have made an important fix to the module loader, to back out logic borrowed from wary/woof (zzz). The problem was that if a module has an "install" statement in any of the modprobe config files, that module is not seen by the backend_modprobe script! The code now uses only the "blacklist" entries from the config files, similar to the pre-zzz technique but for multiple config files in modprobe.d.

The other changes are to the sound card wizard and its friends. They now are similar to the Lucid puppy implementation. I have yet to test that on 4.3.1, but hope to ensure that it is compatible.

These changes result from feedback from playdayz regarding his sound card (which involves an "install" statement) and getting the sound interface right for Luci. Thanks, playdayz.Last edited by rerwin on Tue 22 Mar 2011, 12:45; edited 1 time in total

This new version of the package corrects the ALSA wizard to start a changed driver right away. In addition, the remasterpup2 script is updated to handle the obsolete files removed by the package. The removal of files and directories found on the main puppy sfs file impacted remaster as well as the creation of a new pupsave file, necessitating some constraints on both the installation of the package and remastering after the package is installed.

1. To install the package for immediate use, it must be installed to an existing pupsave. If installed before a pupsave is created, the removed files will reappear in the new pupsave created at shutdown. So create the pupsave first.

2. To create a new, generic remaster of a puppy with the package, boot with "pfix=ram" or choose pupsave 0 (if given a choice). Install any other dotpet packages to be included, then install "modem-modprobe" last (perhaps not necessary, but safer). Immediately run Setup > Remaster Puppy live-CD. Reply to prompts with OK or No (as appropriate), unless you want to make some changes. When finished, shut down/reboot without creating a pupsave file (which would erroneously contain the "removed" obsolete files and directories).

The remaster script is that for recent puppies that use the new identification technique in woof. If the script detects an older puppy, it pops up a red "Sorry..." message that now suggests running the command "remasterpup2old", which will start the updated older version of remasterpup. This is useful for remasters of 4.3.x puppies.

For first-time remasterers, note that you need to have available either a puppy live CD or an "iso" file containing the CD image; and it must match the version of puppy you are running on. To use the file, be sure to click on it first, to show its contents, then leave it mounted that way while running the remaster. Remasterpup2 will include it in its list of puppy-disk options.

I have uploaded a new version of the consolidated fix for pre-zzz puppies. The new changes are to the "update/upgrade" and remastering scripts, and to better accommodate all versions Lucid Puppy 5 (lupu). But this version requires a change in procedures for installing and remastering, as well as for updating/upgrading a pupsave into a newly remastered version containing the fix package.

During installation of the new modem-modprobe package, a new dialog window will pop up in addition to the "installation complete" notification. The new window need not be responded to right away, but is there to allow use of the special version of the remaster script that eliminates obsolete files from the remastered puppy. You can install other packages for a remaster and then click "Yes" to start the remaster process. If you inadvertently click "No" and subsequently (in the same session) want to remaster, find file /tmp/remasterpup_upgrade and click on it. It will determine whether to actually run the "old" version of that script.

The install-and-remaster can be performed on either a new/CD bootup of a puppy or an existing pupsave. However, do not install the package, immediately reboot and create a new pupsave, because the deleted files and directories will reappear in the new pupsave. Always install and remaster in the same session or pre-existing pupsave file.

After a remaster is created with the package in it, upgrading a pupsave from an earlier version of puppy must be preceded by installation of the accompanying "pre-update patch" package. That has a special version of the "update" script that also ensures the deletion of obsolete files and directories that might have accumulated in the old pupsave.

I have adapted the pre-update patch package so that it supports two situations. Originally, it required that the new puppy be a remaster that contains the modem-modprobe fix. Now it also works with pupsave files that already have the modem-modprobe fix installed. For them, the new puppy can be a regular puppy without the fix, which will be carried over from the old pupsave to the updated pupsave file.

This addition simplifies testing/experimentation with the fix in existing pupsave environments where the pupsave is to subsequently be updated to a newer puppy. However, the updated pupsave cannot be remastered in the normal way, but requires the special "upgrade" version of the remasterpup script. To remaster such an updated pupsave, first uninstall the modem-modprobe fix and immediately re-install it (or a later version of it). As part of the installation, the special temporary remasterer will be offered and should be used at that point. (This is not necessary if the new puppy already has the fix.)

Note that if the fixed-and-updated pupsave is updated again for an even later puppy, no special action is required because the "pre-update" version of the update script is retained. But re-installation of "modem-modprobe" is required whenever the updated pupsave is used in a remaster.
Richard

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